Hilary Hahn: Star Ascending

Hilary Hahn: Star Ascending

Since her 1995 debut with the Bavarian Radio Symphony under Lorin Maazel, Hilary Hahn has been a major player on the world concert stage. In 1996, at the age of 16, Sony Classical signed her for an exclusive recording contract, making her one of the youngest performers ever to receive such attention. Now she has a new disc (her fourth) that features technically flawless interpretations of the violin concertos of Brahms and Stravinsky. Her recording of the Barber concerto, coupled with a piece written for her by Edgar Meyer, spent weeks on the Billboard charts.

Our interview was conducted from Hilary Hahn's Philadelphia home.

DF: Your recording is really fantastic, especially the Brahms concerto. I never thought I would like listening to that piece again. How do you prepare for something like that? Does it scare you that it's so well known and so frequently recorded?

HH: Not really. I grew up listening to a lot of different recordings, and I figure a recording is a representation of someone's interpretation at the time. I don't think of it as my definitive interpretation forever. I wanted to record the Brahms not because I think that I have a way of playing it that is superior to others, because there are just so many great recordings that are different from one another -- it's hard to compare them -- but because in the process of recording something you find out a lot about the piece and your approach to it. I wanted to have that experience with the Brahms. I feel a connection to a certain tradition of playing it because my teacher, Jascha Brodsky, heard Efrem Zimbalist play it in Europe when Jascha was in his early 20s. It made him decide to come to the States to study with Zimbalist at Curtis. That ties me back to a tradition in the early 1900s. It's not so common for someone in my generation to have that kind of connection to a piece like the Brahms, so I thought it would be fun to see what would happen if I recorded it.

DF: Do you get to know it in a different way in a recording than in performance?

HH: In a performance, I tend to play a piece a couple weeks in a row, and I find out a little bit more about it every time. I get different ideas from the different conductors and orchestras I work with. If you have a disagreement with someone about a certain aspect, you work it out so that both people are happy with the result. In a recording session, you really have to think about how you want to play it: what exactly it is you want to get across, the best way to actually get it across. It's also one of the only times I actually get to hear what I sound like right after I've done something. Of course, I play differently in a hall than I do for the microphone. There's a lot going on around me in an orchestra, and I try to keep it alive and interesting all the time.

DF: The age-old question of who is the boss in a concerto, the conductor or the soloist: is that a different question in the studio?

HH: It depends on the situation, but usually I think there should be a compromise. If you have a severe disagreement you can always find middle ground. Often there is something that one person is more attached to than the other: if I play something a certain way, and I could do it differently, and that's the way the conductor prefers, then I will do it that way.

DF: Since yours is the commanding name on the record, did you get to pick what would be on it? How does that work?

HH: What I like to do is think up an album and propose it, and if they like it I do it. I find someone who will conduct, I find an orchestra that can schedule it in and put in the time and effort -- sometimes the labels do that, but at Sony I tend to be the one who puts that together. They have to agree to it, of course. I have always wanted to record the Brahms. And the Stravinsky, I love that piece.

DF: You play the Stravinsky with a good sense of humor.

HH: It has a lot of humor to it, but it also has a lot of drama -- there are some very lyrical, almost vocal parts to it. And there are others that are very percussive, and some beautiful duets and trios. There's a clarity to it, but it has a lot going on. The Brahms is very substantial--it's a weighty piece. There are some ethereal moments, some moments of extreme lightness (as in light against dark, not light meaning inconsequential). There are some tragic moments, some wistful parts, some assertive parts. It's a bit of everything--a different range from the Stravinsky. I think they show each other off very well.

DF: What is your life like? Are you having a good time with all the touring?

HH: I love it. I can't imagine anything I would enjoy more. I love music, and I feel so lucky to be able to focus on music in my life, but then also have the chance to pursue other things that I like, such as writing and photography, which I get to pursue through my journals on my website. I do all of that, even selecting the order. It's not edited or anything -- not that anything needs to be edited out. [laughs.] I get to do that, see different cities, take walks in places I am not familiar with, and take walks on my own terms. I prefer going to places to do concerts rather than as a tourist, because when you are a tourist you don't get to know anyone who lives there, you see it from the outside. Having concerts there, and working with people who live there and play in the orchestra, I get a better feel for the place.

DF: You strike me as being very grounded for someone with an international career.

HH: I've been lucky in that I've gotten to build up to what I am doing, so it hasn't ever come as a jolt. It's really important to do that, otherwise you have to learn everything at once: what to pack, what to eat on concert days, how tired you are, how jetlag affects you, knowing your schedule, how often you need to take time off, how many concerts you can do back-to-back, what time of day you like to travel. All that stuff can throw you if you have to learn it all at once. That's why I still love what I do.

DF: And probably will for a long time to come.

HH: I hope so.